A 21-year-old man will spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted of rape in the Ladysmith Regional Court at the end of last month.
The crime took place during the latter part of November last year, when a seven-year-old girl from the Upper Tugela area was raped at a tuck shop while making her way home from school. The youngster was in the company of fellow pupils at the time.
The child’s sister picked up on the fact that she had been sexually assaulted and told their mother.
The girl was taken for an examination and it was confirmed that she had indeed been raped. When the child was interviewed by the Ladysmith FCS forensic psychologist, it was established that she had been raped by a tuck shop owner who had threatened her with a knife and told her not to talk about the incident.
As soon as a statement was taken, Ladysmith Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) officers arrested the suspect.
21-year-old Cacina Xolani Hlongwane stood trial for his crime in the Ladysmith Regional Court last month. He was sentenced on September 27 to life imprisonment and was found unfit to possess a firearm.
His details will be added to the National Register for Sexual Offenders.
The case was initially investigated by the late Warrant Officer Dube and later taken over by Warrant Officer Mncwango of the Ladysmith FCS Unit.
DID YOU KNOW?
Click on the words highlighted in red to read more on this and related topics.
If you are reading this on your cellphone and there are telephone numbers provided in the text, you can call these simply by clicking on them.
To receive news links via WhatsApp.
For the latest news, visit our webpage or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Join us there!
